Dental implants have become increasingly available and affordable to many and the use of such dental implants is generally more desirable than false teeth which are temporarily adhered to the gum surface.
Generally, surgery for such dental implants starts by making an incision in the gum of the patient to expose the bone and the implant is screwed into place. The implant is covered for three to six months to permit undisturbed healing. Thereafter, the top of the implant is exposed and a post is attached. A bridge is then secured onto the post and functions in the same manner as a natural tooth.
It will be appreciated that a portion of the post is generally accessible under the bridge. Thus, as with natural teeth, it is necessary to clean the bridge and post, particularly near and at the gum line. Thorough cleaning of these areas is required to prevent gingival infections around the implant posts, and to prevent plaque from building up in the gum crevice surrounding the in plant posts. It is this cleaning to which the present invention is directed. It will also be appreciated that many of the patients which benefit from dental implants are elderly and/or handicapped and require a device especially adapted for use by a person with limited dexterity. Some of the elderly and/or handicapped patients may require a device adapted for use by a care giver.
Heretofore, various types of tooth brushes have been adapted for this purpose. Examples of such tooth brushes adapted for cleaning interproximal and interdental areas are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,559,226; 3,720,975; 3,939,520; 4,053,959; 4,222,143; 4,319,377, and 4,387,479. These references describe brushes having bristles radiating from a central shaft. As such, they are inadequate for cleaning a dental implant post. The requirements of effective dental implant post cleaning are met by the specifically adapted dental cleaning attachments of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,195 describes a brush having plastic bristles held in place by twisted wire and bent to conform to a U-shape. The relationship of the handle to the brush described by the '195 patent is inadequate to meet the needs of a person with compromised dexterity or muscle control. Also, the wire spine of the brush would be likely damage a titanium dental implant post.